Sunday, February 19, 2012

Final Vindication

I once found in Imbibe magazine a recipe for a "Bubbly Manhattan" wherein the bitters normally used were replaced with a few ounces of hoppy, bitter IPA, and have been obsessed with creating my own beer cocktail ever since. I tried a few iterations out over our last couple menus but have always been shot down by both our chef and head bartender. Finally, I found the missing link (celery bitters!) and came up with one they liked, and if it winds up on our menu, this will be its rightful name.

1 oz spicy bourbon or rye whiskey (I've used both Maker's Mark and Bulleit Rye with great success)

1 oz apricot liqueur (Rothman & Winter is good, or you could always make your own)

1 dash lime juice

3 dashes celery bitters (Bitter Truth's version is most effective and Fee Brothers' is to be avoided)

2-3 oz IPA (or similar hoppy, bitter beer)

Combine the first four ingredients over ice; top off with beer and raise aloft in victory.

I am fucking proud of this one, as you can probably tell. Something about the synergy of spicy bourbon, round apricot, sharp lime, and grassy-vegetal hops - it's an intriguing combination, even if it's not for everybody. If you can't decide between cocktail or beer, this manages to bridge the gap.